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It wasn’t until Andrea came to Box Hill Institute that her talents were recognised. “It wasn’t so much fashion, it was about the practical side and how to make the things I wanted to make.”
When her gown was announced to be a finalist in the Gown of the Year Awards, Andrea Varrasso was backstage, missing the whole event.
The generous Box Hill Institute fashion student wanted her mum to finally see the time consuming gown on the catwalk so much so that she’d paid for half of her mum’s ticket, and wasn’t able to afford one of her own.
“Mum really wanted to see it, so I watched from backstage,” she said. “When my dress was going out I tried to peek through but the security guards wouldn’t let me.”
Andrea watched backstage on a big screen television while fitting the extravagant black gown to her model, otherwise known as Chelsea Biggs from the Footy Show’s House of Bulger.
Andrea’s gown is currently on tour around Australia, but all she hopes for is that it comes back looking how it did last time she saw it. The gown took her the good part of four months to create and much of that time was spent sewing an intricate chain design onto the train of the dress.
Support from her fellow students allowed Andrea to complete the remarkable gown. “We all helped each other and gave each other advice...we all pitched in,” said Andrea.
It wasn’t until Andrea came to Box Hill Institute that her talents were recognised. “It wasn’t so much fashion, it was about the practical side and how to make the things I wanted to make.”
06 November 2003
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